AMES, Ia. — A happy Dan Pestano is singing Drake’s newest single as he walks into the Pete Taylor Media Room inside Hilton Coliseum. He’s wearing a Hawaiian lei and strutting up to the table in the back.

Almost 40 minutes earlier, Pestano scored a third-period pin as Iowa State beat Fresno State, 26-22, before 2,617 on Friday night. The Cyclones are now 8-8 overall this year and 3-5 in Big 12 Conference competition while Fresno State drops to 4-15 and 1-4.

“Just blessed I guess,” Pestano said. “I enjoyed it. The crowd was nice. Just glad I could get the pin and get the crowd on their feet. It was fun. Just having fun out there.”

Friday’s dual was a funky one. Iowa State and Fresno State each won five matches in the dual but the Cyclones received a pin from Markus Simmons at 133, a technical fall from Chase Straw at 157, and Pestano’s pin at 184 pounds to jump back to .500.

In a dual that saw Jarrett Degen lose a wild 14-13 decisional 149 pounds, and Ian Parker sit the bench for the third straight dual because of a small injury, head coach Kevin Dresser was mostly pleased with the outcome — and especially with the effort of his lone starting senior.

“Senior night, with 1 second to go — it was like a movie, wasn’t it?” Dresser said. “Good for him. He grinded away and did what he had to do there.”

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After a takedown midway through the third period, Pestano led Angel Solis, 11-4, and had the riding-time point locked up. A major decision was in hand, and would’ve extended the Cyclones’ lead at that point.

But Pestano sought more. He grabbed a hold of Solis’ right arm and strapped it across his back, then grabbed his head and pulled it in for a front headlock. Pestano horsed Solis over for the pin with 1 second remaining in the third period, giving the Cyclones an ever-crucial six team points to go up 23-16.

“I just went for it,” Pestano said. “I was just thinking that maybe I could get some back points and try to build on my lead, but then I felt him kind of go over and I just prayed I got the pin.

“Earlier in the match, he was still kind of strong, but in the end, I felt him getting a little weaker and getting more tired. I had the power to turn him and put him on his back.”

After Joe Teague lost by fall in the first period at 197 pounds, Marcus Harrington was called on to save the dual. Tied 4-4 in overtime, Harrington connected on a takedown midway through the period to beat A.J. Nevills and give Pestano a senior-night victory.

“That’s fine with me,” Harrington said. “I’m sure any guy on the team would say they want the dual to come down to their match.”

Nearby, Pestano whispered, “Ice in his veins,” and the two shared a smirk. This is the kind of scene that confident teams have. On a night dedicated to the program’s seniors, Pestano was full of confidence, something that maybe hasn’t always been there throughout his Iowa State career.

Pestano came to Ames from Kamehameha High School in Waimanalo, Hawaii, a 10.5 hour flight that spans nearly 4,000 miles. He was a four-time state qualifier and won a state title as a senior year at 215 pounds. He was far from a top-tier recruit, posting a 73-6 overall record.

But the storied history of Iowa State wrestling drew him in. Kevin Jackson, the team’s former head coach, convinced him to make the journey on the promise of an opportunity. Pestano admits it was an adjustment in more ways than one.

During his first two years, Pestano hardly saw the mat. He compiled a 13-9 overall record between his redshirt campaign and his redshirt freshman season. Nothing about him screamed Division I regular.

That changed the next year. Pestano blossomed into a tough-nosed wrestler, posting a 24-15 record at 184 pounds. He finished fourth at the Big 12 tournament and got an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Championships. He earned the team’s Most Improved Award.

Last season, Pestano made the drop to 165 pounds and struggled mightily. He went 7-7 and 0-3 in duals. He eventually fell out of the starting lineup. Jackson announced in late January that he would be stepping down at the season’s end.

With a new coaching staff coming in, Pestano could’ve easily left. Five other wrestlers already have, the latest being Colston DiBlasi on Thursday evening. But he decided to tough it out. He came here to be part of the history, after all.

So far this season, Pestano has been steady. After Friday’s win, he’s now 18-9 overall with three pins. Dresser has valued him as a leader for his consistency since the rest of the lineup has taken different shapes throughout the year.

“I’m a huge Dane Pestano fan,” Dresser said. “I like guys that are consistent in the room. I have to bite my tongue because I’m the old hard you-know-what sometimes. I don’t like guys that don’t bring it to the room because if you can’t bring it to the room, you can’t bring it to Hilton.

“Dane Pestano brings it to the room all the time. Just watching him in practice every day, he likes to live wrestle. He wrestles hard. If you’re going to pick Dane, you’re going to get a good workout in. He’s going to get after you. I think that’s why he’s had a consistent year.”

It remains to be seen how far Pestano will go in the postseason, but the celebration on Friday night consisted of a long-held tradition by Pestano’s parents.

Each year, Corey and Darilyn Pestano bring leis for the coaches and outgoing seniors on senior night. At first, Dresser joked that maybe his assistants went to a bar prior to the dual, then he was handed a lei to wear during the ceremony during the intermission.

Pestano wore his before and after his match, and during his post-dual interviews. It left him with mixed feelings knowing that his Iowa State career is in its final act, but that’s only motivated him to make the most of it.

“It’s a thing in Hawaii,” Pestano said. “You celebrate something and you give out leis. This one is actual leaves and stuff. I like these. This is more of a manly one. It smells good. It looks a little blingy-blingy, you know?

“It’s kind of bittersweet, too. It’s my last year, and I’m just enjoying every moment.”

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.